South African Winelands

Tasting at Simonsig.

Simonsig tasting facility - beautiful.

The drive to Franschhoek.

Statue at La Motte.

Cheers from a gourmet lunch at La Motte.

La Motte tasting room and art gallery.

Fermentation tanks at Klein Constantia. 

We knew that there is a great deal of excitement around South African wines. South Africa ranks 7th in the world in wine production and the quality gets better and better with each vintage. Wine has been made in South Africa for 300 years and a late harvest wine from Constantia was a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte and is mentioned in the writing of Dickens. The country's signature grape - pinotage - makes interesting, full-body red wines. We had no idea that this excitement translated into a blossoming food and wine culture. The wine farms (what wineries are called in South Africa) are as beautiful as they are impressive. Steve was awestruck at the investment made in relatively small production wine farms. We visited the wine farms in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek Valley and Constantia, including Simonsig, La Motte and Klein Constantia. We enjoyed gourmet lunches (Steve tried Springbok) which cost less than 3 pizzas and a bottle of water in Switzerland. While the world is now starting to catch-on to these wines, happily the pricing of these wines is still accessible for most wine lovers.